Rear window ...
Discussion
Hi all - long time no post! I've got a good one to return on though...
Was driving my DB9 up the A3 (we'd just got on so doing about 55mph at the time) after a wedding at 10pm tonight and BANG (think gunshot noise...but louder!). After we both got over the shock, I figured out the rear window had shattered and we limped extremely slowly to a garage, all whilst the window was creaking and cracking (100m up the road thankfully). Assessed the damage, spoke to some police who happened to be in there at the time who advised me that I can drive home without a rear window but I'd have to push it through to be safe. So bought some gloves, bags, etc and pushed the window through into a blanket. After covering the hole and admiring my new DB9 Volante Manual for a few moments, we got home some hours later. (Photos to follow)
I had the rear screen demister on and it was a rather chilly night (but no frost) so unless something impacted the window (we weren't driving under trees or bridge at the time), I'm fairly sure it's due to the rapid temperature change. Anyone else heard of this?
I have a policy with Locktons so will be onto them to see if I am covered by anything but otherwise I assume I will be looking at a rather large bill to replace it! I also assume they wont be too happy with a DB9 being windowless and unlockable (even in my carpark) for long! Does anyone know if I can lock the car (perhaps there's little point...) without the alarm? I considered the ferry procedure but fear that it would still arm some part that may go off?
Any other next steps I should consider?!
Regards James
Was driving my DB9 up the A3 (we'd just got on so doing about 55mph at the time) after a wedding at 10pm tonight and BANG (think gunshot noise...but louder!). After we both got over the shock, I figured out the rear window had shattered and we limped extremely slowly to a garage, all whilst the window was creaking and cracking (100m up the road thankfully). Assessed the damage, spoke to some police who happened to be in there at the time who advised me that I can drive home without a rear window but I'd have to push it through to be safe. So bought some gloves, bags, etc and pushed the window through into a blanket. After covering the hole and admiring my new DB9 Volante Manual for a few moments, we got home some hours later. (Photos to follow)
I had the rear screen demister on and it was a rather chilly night (but no frost) so unless something impacted the window (we weren't driving under trees or bridge at the time), I'm fairly sure it's due to the rapid temperature change. Anyone else heard of this?
I have a policy with Locktons so will be onto them to see if I am covered by anything but otherwise I assume I will be looking at a rather large bill to replace it! I also assume they wont be too happy with a DB9 being windowless and unlockable (even in my carpark) for long! Does anyone know if I can lock the car (perhaps there's little point...) without the alarm? I considered the ferry procedure but fear that it would still arm some part that may go off?
Any other next steps I should consider?!
Regards James
James, that must have been quite a shock! I've read a number of posts on the AMOC forum about 2004-2006 DB9 coupes suffering from this. It seems that there's a software update that manages the rear screen heating to avoid this -- it should have been done during a regular service.
During a search for squeaks and rattles in the back of my car I removed the rear parcel shelf and discovered shards of glass in all the corners. My 2006 DB9 must have suffered a fate similar to yours as there's no evidence of a crash or other repairs.
During a search for squeaks and rattles in the back of my car I removed the rear parcel shelf and discovered shards of glass in all the corners. My 2006 DB9 must have suffered a fate similar to yours as there's no evidence of a crash or other repairs.
yvr said:
James, that must have been quite a shock! I've read a number of posts on the AMOC forum about 2004-2006 DB9 coupes suffering from this. It seems that there's a software update that manages the rear screen heating to avoid this -- it should have been done during a regular service.
During a search for squeaks and rattles in the back of my car I removed the rear parcel shelf and discovered shards of glass in all the corners. My 2006 DB9 must have suffered a fate similar to yours as there's no evidence of a crash or other repairs.
Do you have a link to this? I would have thought the circuit would burnout before heating the glass to break, if it didn't blow the fuse first?During a search for squeaks and rattles in the back of my car I removed the rear parcel shelf and discovered shards of glass in all the corners. My 2006 DB9 must have suffered a fate similar to yours as there's no evidence of a crash or other repairs.
It's not overheating the glass to breaking point, it is probably heating it too fast and stressing it. It would have probably originally been designed to clear nice and quickly but then when they found this may be causing problems, they possibly reduced the current to it to slow it down?
With a frozen glass just having the central section heated too quickly, it would bend the glass as the centre expands.
With a frozen glass just having the central section heated too quickly, it would bend the glass as the centre expands.
8Tech said:
It's not overheating the glass to breaking point, it is probably heating it too fast and stressing it. It would have probably originally been designed to clear nice and quickly but then when they found this may be causing problems, they possibly reduced the current to it to slow it down?
With a frozen glass just having the central section heated too quickly, it would bend the glass as the centre expands.
I thought we were heading for a Thermal Stress, or Nickel Sulphide discussion... on a cold and frosty Sunday morning. With a frozen glass just having the central section heated too quickly, it would bend the glass as the centre expands.
Glassman said:
Do you have a link to this? I would have thought the circuit would burnout before heating the glass to break, if it didn't blow the fuse first?
Here are a couple:http://www.amoc.org/forum/index.php?topic=25696.0
http://www.amoc.org/forum/index.php?topic=18702.ms...
Some interesting thoughts on heating areas causing different stresses and the likes.
Having been a glass fitter for most of my working life I have a few theories of my own. I have seen so many mystery shattered heated rear windows I have lost count. People park their car up when they get home only to come out the next day to a shattered but usually in one piece heated rear.
I have seen a few that have broken from impact or vandalism but by and large the source of these mystery breaks can be traced back by following the pattern of the cracks to a tiny portion of a heating element that has burned through. My theory is as the element deteriorates it's resistance increases, as it's resistance increases it gets hotter, the hotter it gets the faster oxidisation occurs and so the cycle escalates until the element burns through. When the element burns through it goes like a fuse, burning very hot in a very small area causing a hot spot on the glass. Obviously this hot spot will take longer to cool, hence the car being parked up, left alone and the back window shattering all on it's own.
When I had my business in the UK we used to service four Renault dealers. Renault had a recall on the heated rears of the fat ass Megane, as part of our services we were changing dozens of heated rears most weeks for a couple of years. I only ever saw one Megane with an unexplained heated rear breakage, this stemmed from the location of a rubber shim behind the glass. Renault provided us with very specific instructions regarding the usage and location of these shims. Maybe there was a stress issue with their location?
Having been a glass fitter for most of my working life I have a few theories of my own. I have seen so many mystery shattered heated rear windows I have lost count. People park their car up when they get home only to come out the next day to a shattered but usually in one piece heated rear.
I have seen a few that have broken from impact or vandalism but by and large the source of these mystery breaks can be traced back by following the pattern of the cracks to a tiny portion of a heating element that has burned through. My theory is as the element deteriorates it's resistance increases, as it's resistance increases it gets hotter, the hotter it gets the faster oxidisation occurs and so the cycle escalates until the element burns through. When the element burns through it goes like a fuse, burning very hot in a very small area causing a hot spot on the glass. Obviously this hot spot will take longer to cool, hence the car being parked up, left alone and the back window shattering all on it's own.
When I had my business in the UK we used to service four Renault dealers. Renault had a recall on the heated rears of the fat ass Megane, as part of our services we were changing dozens of heated rears most weeks for a couple of years. I only ever saw one Megane with an unexplained heated rear breakage, this stemmed from the location of a rubber shim behind the glass. Renault provided us with very specific instructions regarding the usage and location of these shims. Maybe there was a stress issue with their location?
Drove it to have the window replaced today. Hopefully back up and running mid next week!
Pictures for those interested:
https://plus.google.com/photos/1173441602522276610...
Pictures for those interested:
https://plus.google.com/photos/1173441602522276610...
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